Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1944)

THIS WEEK IN THE NEWS Release for ''Outlaw'^ HOWARD HUGHES' Western with sex, "The Outlaw," will be released by United Artists, Gradwell L. Sears, UA vice-president in charge of distribution, announced Tuesday in Hollywood. The picture was produced and directed four years ago, at a reported cost of $1,250,000, by Mr. Hughes, originally for distribution by Twentieth Century-Fox, an arrangement which later was abrogated. Upon its completion it was granted a seal of approval by the Production Code Administration provided certain cuts were made in the production. Mr. Hughes then decided to roadshow the picture himself and threatened to buy a circuit of theatres across the country in which to exhibit. For the initial showing he leased the Geary theatre in San Francisco, where the picture opened February 6, 1943, generating wide publicity based on pin-up pictures of Jane Russell, the star. During that showing the picture carried PCA seal No. 7440, although there were indications that Mr. Hughes was not greatly concerned whether he had it or not. The indicated cuts will be made before UA releases the picture, Robert Savini, Mr. Hughes' agent in the deal, said in New York this week. Reviewing the picture in Motion Picture Herald February 13, 1943, William R. Weaver said : "the audience . . . evidenced admiration for the early passages, shock when the sex sequences came along, amusement in some of the wrong places as the picture wore on, and weariness toward the end." Instructed Rites THE DEATH this week in Hopkins, Mo., of Federal Judge Merrill E. Otis brought to a close a long court career in which figured many cases of importance to the industry in the midwest, and perhaps nationally. For some 30 years Judge Otis sat on the bench in Kansas City, Mo., and heard independent exhibitor and distributor litigants clash over motion picture trade problems. He was never over-ruled by a higher court. Those who knew him were not surprised that he should v^ite down exactly how he wanted his funeral conducted. In the little Baptist church in his old home town his requests were carefully carried out. There was no sermon, the Judge's three favorite Bible passages were read, his three favorite hymns were sung and the mourners sang "lustily" as they were requested to do. Debate in Commons IT WAS field day again in the British House of Commons last Wednesday. American motion pictures were the target. Captain Charles Waterhouse, Parliamentary Secretary to the British Board of Trade, started the shooting when he presented the Government's plan for expanding the British film industry after the war with Germany, and moved that an amendment be made to the film quota order for the coming year. Captain Waterhouse announced that imports of American films into England had been THE Money Making Stars of 1944, by vote of exhibitors Page 12 NINETY per cent of French theatres open, OWI reports Page 16 AMERICAN and British companies return to France shortly Page 16 EXTRAS' bolt from SAG opens way to conflict in studios Page 18 BRITISH critic sees Code ban on "Fanny" as a trade plot Page 19 SERVICE DEPARTMENTS STATE Department shakeup believed of aic to film industry Page 21 HARRISON named Rockefeller's aide inCIAA administration Page 2/ FILMS as valuable in foxholes as In theatres Hays says in report Page 2'i MAJORS studying grievance plan as pro posed by Law Page 2': ,j a; KORDA may produce "Pickwick Papers" h England for MGM Page ill Hollywood Scene In the Newsreels Managers' Round Table Picture Grosses Shorts on Broadway Page 33 Page 36 Page 41 Page 49 Page 38 What the Picture Did for Me Page 3"; IN PRODUCT DIGEST SECTION Showmen's Reviews Page 224' Advance Synopses Page 225P The Rel ease Chart Page 225 steadily increasing since the war and were now "on such a scale that they must be a matter of concern" to the board, which is "urgently pursuing ways and means to encourage production at home." American companies sent to Britain $39,000,000 worth of film in 1939; $43,000,000 in 1940;$48,000,000 in 1941 ; $70,000,000 in 1942. and $78,000,000 in 1943, he reported. Ellis Smith, Labor member, came forth with : "The world cannot be run, after all, solely on a Hollywood conception of life." He expressed concern "about the effects of too many films from Hollywood on the lives of our young people." Earl Winterton, Conservative, agreed with Mr. Smith, adding: "I view with alarm the films of alleged educational character which come from America." The debate ended with approval of the film quota ojder, after members of the House had spoken highly of "Henry V," J. Arthur Rank's new feature. This was the first motion picture to be advertised in Commons and was described there as a. "magnificent example of British prestige." Distinguished Service EDWARD P. CURTIS, sales manager of Eastman Kodak's motion picture film division, well known in the industry, and now a Brigadier General with the Air Force, has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. The award is for his services as chief of staff of the U. S. Strategic Air Forces from January through October, 1944, in Europe. This war is General Curtis' second. In the First World War, he was a major in the Air Force, and received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Croix de Guerre, and the Order of St. Anne. He entered the army for the second time, in January, 1942, as a colonel Joining the air corps, he went overseas, and in June, 1943, was made a Brigadier General. l\lt Seasonal , FEDERAL admission tax collections in No vember, reflecting normal seasonal trends, werl slightly below those of the preceding month, to! taling $30,183,455 against $31,097,641, the In ternal Revenue Bureau announced Thursday injtii Washington. Collections in November, 1943 were $16,388,863. The Bureau indicated that business in Oc tober, on which the November collections wer based, held up generally throughout the coun try. Most of the decline from the previou month was concentrated in the Third Nev York Distrist (Broadway), where collection dropped from $4,873,946 to $4,015,458. The New York receipts included $3,505,67!| from box office admissions, against $4,241,511' in October; $28,690 from tickets sold by broke ers, against $21,371, and $480,937 from admis,, sions to roof gardens and cabarets, agains,! $609,742. ^: The collections brought the total Govern}; ment revenue for the first 11 months of 1944. to $269,332,934, compared with $1 52,681, 90:g|J for the corresponding period in 1943 and indu cated that the receipts for the year would reacl $300,000,000. Sneak Indeed IT remained for the House of Paramount tc put a new wrinkle in the old Hollywood custom' of notifying the press of intention to sneak preview pictures in unfinalized form at stipulated theatres and hours, a courtesy in exchang« for which the press agrees to stay away. Recently the Paramount Girl who phone; sneak-preview notifications called up Quiglei Publications' Hollywood Bureau and said "We'd like to clear a sneak of 'Miss Susi(: Slagle,' tonight at 8:30." And when she wa asked where "Susie" was to be sneaked, s(, Motion Picture Herald's reviewers wouli know which theatre to stay home from, she rei plied, "We don't know." ■ MOTION PICTURE HERALD. DECEMBER 30, 194